Tag Archives: spaceflight

Nov 14 2018

SSO-A mission with Amateur Radio satellites launched December 3

SSO-A mission - credit Spaceflight

SSO-A mission – credit Spaceflight

Spaceflight’s SSO-A SmallSat Express mission, carrying many amateur radio satellites, launched on a SpaceX Falcon 9 from Vandenberg Air Force Base at 18:34 GMT on Monday, December 3.

Watch the launch at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wq8kS6UoOrQ

ESEO 437.040 MHz beacon received by Surrey Space Centre

ESEO 437.000 MHz beacon received by Surrey Space Centre

64 small satellites from 17 countries were launched on this mission, some with amateur radio payloads. A full list of satellites, can be found at
https://directory.eoportal.org/web/eoportal/satellite-missions/content/-/article/sso-a

Four microsatellites including ESEO, carrying an AMSAT-UK FUNcube-4 transponder, were deployed about 2 hours and 13 minutes after launch.

60 CubeSats including Jordan’s JY1SAT carrying a FUNcube-6 transponder and capable of transmitting Slow Scan Digital Video (SSDV) images deployed about 2 hours later.

JY1SAT received by Scott Chapman K4KDR

JY1SAT received by Scott Chapman K4KDR

Surrey Space Centre tweeted:
“A swarm of satellites heads over Guildford including a very large beacon from ESEO!”

Scott Chapman K4KDR tweeted:
“More SSO-A 2-meter IQ replay; JY1Sat 1k2 BPSK decoding perfectly w/ the Dashboard app. Very strong signal on 145.840!”

Provisional SatPC32 Doppler.sqf data from Peter 2M0SQL for tracking some Amateur Radio satellites on the launch is available at https://gist.github.com/magicbug/cf23cfca3a6ec9902d8dd9326a9249ea

See the Frequency Charts produced by Mike DK3WN http://www.dk3wn.info/p/?p=90897

Satellites known to have Amateur Radio payloads are:

Al-Farabi 2 http://www.southgatearc.org/news/2018/november/al-farabi-2-nanosatellite.htm
Downlink 436.500 MHz CW and GMSK-4800, 1 watt output
They say the first 10 radio amateurs to email reception reports will receive a memorial plaque free of charge

CSIM http://www.amsatuk.me.uk/iaru/finished_detail.php?serialnum=585A
Downlink 437.250 MHz

ESEO http://www.amsatuk.me.uk/iaru/finished_detail.php?serialnum=82
Downlink on 437.000MHz and a transponder Uplink on 1263.500MHz
have been coordinated. A revised downlink frequency of 145.895 MHz has
been coordinated for FM voice and 1k2/4k8 BPSK telemetry

Exseed http://www.amsatuk.me.uk/iaru/finished_detail.php?serialnum=636
Downlink 145.900 MHz for FM repeater 67 Hz and digipeater downlink and for telemetry and
435.340 MHz for repeater and digipeater uplink

Fox 1C (Fox 1Cliff) http://www.amsatuk.me.uk/iaru/finished_detail.php?serialnum=455
Downlink 145.920 MHz for FM voice and DUV data and Uplinks on 435.300 and 1267.300 MHz

JY1-Sat http://www.amsatuk.me.uk/iaru/finished_detail.php?serialnum=554
Downlink 145.840 MHz and transponder downlink passband on
145.855-145.875 MHz with an inverting uplink on 435.100 – 435.120 MHz

K2SAT http://www.amsatuk.me.uk/iaru/admin/update.php?serial=552
Downlink TLM beacon 435.835 MHz, FM Repeater 436.225 MHz and for Data 2404.000 MHz. FM Repeater Uplink 145.980 MHz

KNACKSAT http://www.amsatuk.me.uk/iaru/finished_detail.php?serialnum=520
Downlink 435.635 MHz

IRVINE02 http://www.amsatuk.me.uk/iaru/finished_detail.php?serialnum=557
Downlink 437.450 MHz

ITASAT http://www.amsatuk.me.uk/iaru/finished_detail.php?serialnum=435
Downlink 145.860 MHz and 2400.150 MHz

MinXSS-2 http://www.amsatuk.me.uk/iaru/finished_detail.php?serialnum=477
Downlink 437.250 MHz

MOVE-2 http://www.amsatuk.me.uk/iaru/finished_detail.php?serialnum=487
To avoid a frequency clash with another mission, a revised downlink frequency of 145.950 MHz has been coordinated for 9k6 BPSK

PW-Sat-2 http://www.amsatuk.me.uk/iaru/finished_detail.php?serialnum=545
Downlink 435.275 MHz

RANGE A &B http://www.amsatuk.me.uk/iaru/admin/update.php?serial=497
Downlink 437.150 MHz (A) and 437.475 MHz (B)

SNUGLITE http://www.amsatuk.me.uk/iaru/admin/update.php?serial=529
https://snuglite1.wixsite.com/website
Downlink 437.275 MHz has been coordinated

SNUSAT-2 http://www.amsatuk.me.uk/iaru/admin/update.php?serial=509
Downlink 437.625 MHz and 2402 MHz

SUOMI-100 http://www.amsatuk.me.uk/iaru/admin/update.php?serial=507
Downlink 437.775 MHz and 2410 MHz

Visioncube http://www.amsatuk.me.uk/iaru/finished_detail.php?serialnum=607
Downlink 437.425 MHz

IARU coordinated satellite frequencies can be found at http://www.amsat.org.uk/iaru/

Nov 1 2012

Appointment of Frank Bauer, KA3HDO as AMSAT VP-Human Spaceflight Programs

AMSAT-NA President Barry Baines is pleased to announce that effective August 1, 2012, Frank Bauer, KA3HDO, will be returning as AMSAT’s Vice President for Human Spaceflight Programs. This role will include AMSAT’s leadership on the Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) Program and amateur radio operations pursuits on other Human Spaceflight vehicles proposed by NASA, International Space Agencies and domestic and international commercial spaceflight organizations.

Bauer made the following comment regarding his reappointment: “I look forward to working again with AMSAT as we bring the excitement of human space exploration pursuits and amateur radio communications into the communities of the world, inspiring youth to pursue Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) careers”. Continue reading →

Jul 23 2012

Tethersat-1 & 2 to test Electrodynamic Tether Propulsion

Illustration of the EDT concept – image Wiki

 

The amateur radio satellite Tethersat is a 3U CubeSat that splits into two joined by a 1 km tether to test electrodynamic tether propulsion.

Both spacecraft will use 9600 bps AX25 GFSK packet downlinks on UHF. A launch is planned on ORS-3 in July 2013 from the Wallops Flight Facility on Wallops Island, Va.

Electrodynamic tether propulsion propulsion has the potential to make space travel significantly cheaper. It is a simplified, very low-budget magnetic sail. It can be used either to accelerate or brake an orbiting spacecraft. When direct current is pumped through the tether, it exerts a Lorentz force against the magnetic field, and the tether accelerates the spacecraft.

Potentially this technique could be used to raise the orbit of a satellite from 600 to 1000 km using a Ward Spiral maneuver. See the 2009 paper Tethered Satellite Dynamics, Mission Design and Applications by Chadwick Healy http://ccar.colorado.edu/asen5050/projects/projects_2009/healy/

Wiki http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electrodynamic_tether

IARU Satellite Frequency Coordination Panel status http://www.amsat.org.uk/iaru